By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 26 September 2019 at 6:19 pm
Provided photos: Medina native Colin Huwyler, center, accepts a $1 million check from Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul Wednesday at Binghamton University. Huwyler, who founded Optimus Technologies in Pittsburgh, was announced as the winner of NYSERDA’s 76West Clean Energy competition. From left are Southern Tier Regional Economic Council co-chair and president of Binghamton University, Harvey Stenger; Hochul; Huwyler; New York State Energy Research and Development Authority president and CEO, Alicia Barton; and Judy McKinney Cherry, executive director of Schuyler County Partnership for Economic Development.
BINGHAMTON – When Colin Huwyler got the call to be in Binghamton this week, he was hoping, but definitely not expecting to be named the winner of NYSERDA’s 76West Clean Energy competition.
When the awards were announced Wednesday at Binghamton University, Huwyler, however, was the winner of the $1 million first prize.
“I can’t even comprehend a million dollars,” said Huwyler’s mother Bobbi Huwyler of Medina, after learning of her son’s honor. “He knew he had won something, but he is very humble and was happy just to be one of the six finalists.”
Huwyler became interested in clean energy while still in Medina High School. His first endeavor while still a teenager was to purchase a diesel car and convert it to burn used salad oil.
He went on to found Optimus Technologies, which today is recognized as a leader in the field of designing and manufacturing biodiesel fuel systems for medium- and heavy-duty diesel trucks, enabling them to operate on up to 100 percent biodiesel, thereby reducing fuel costs and greenhouse gas emissions by more than 80 percent.
Medina native Colin Huwyler is interviewed Wednesday by television crews in Binghamton after he was announced as the top winner of $1 million in NYSERDA’s 76West Clean Energy Competition. More than 160 companies worldwide entered the competition, which was narrowed to six finalists.
With his million dollar prize money, Huwyer plans to establish a company in the Binghamton/Ithaca area. He will be focusing his attention in the coming months on leasing a facility and setting up a growth plan for the Southern Tier region. He said his first hires will be in manufacturing, followed by engineers and technicians.
He expects to be operational in the Southern Tier by early 2020.
“This award will definitely have an impact on my business,” Huwyler said. “I am really excited to be working with NYSERDA. They are putting New York state at the forefront of renewable energy and clean technology. Hopefully, other states will take notice.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 26 September 2019 at 12:52 pm
MEDINA – The Medina Village Board wants to have a Facebook page for the village government but first will develop a policy for what type of news and events will be shared, and if comments will be allowed.
If comments are allowed and some seem like personal attacks or uncalled for criticism, the Village Board will consider whether there will be a threshold for removing those comments.
“I question the removal of negative comments,” said Trustee Owen Toale.
He said he is often shocked at how nasty and mean-spirited people can be on Facebook. He worries about that on an official village social media page.
The Medina Fire Department and Police Department each have their own Facebook pages.
“They get tons of positive comments,” said Mayor Mike Sidari.
He wanted the village to check if negative comments can be allowed or if that is considered a form of censorship.
Todd Bensley, a village trustee, said the village should either have a Facebook page that doesn’t allow comments, or allow them all – including all of the negative comments. He thinks deleting comments would be considered censorship by the community.
The board said it will continue to look at options. It wants to use social media to help get information out about the village government.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 26 September 2019 at 10:32 am
Photo by Tom Rivers: Jim Hancock, chairman of the Medina Tourism Committee, said the Visitor’s Center at Rotary Park had a 17 percent increase in registered visitors this past summer.
MEDINA – The Medina Visitor’s Center at Rotary Park welcomed 220 registered guests from Memorial Day to Labor Day, a 17 percent increase from the previous season.
Jim Hancock, the Tourism Committee chairman, shared the news with the Medina Village Board on Monday.
The center is staffed by volunteers from Monday through Friday. This was the second season at Rotary Park. Previously the volunteer had a welcome center at City Hall.
Hancock said the Rotary Park location is more ideal. It’s closer to the canal where boaters and cyclists often stop to see the downtown business district.
Hancock said adding signage on the main thoroughfares, directing people to the Erie Canal and public parking lots, would likely get more people to stop in the downtown.
“Many of the visitors don’t realize there is a parking lot behind Main Street,” Hancock told the Village Board. “There is also no sign on Center Street or Main Street pointing to the canal.”
Mayor Mike Sidari said the state Department of Transportation has told the village it already has too many signs on Main Street.
Village officials however have a plan to add signs as part of the Medina Local Waterfront Revitalization Program. A committee with input from the community developed a plan to improve the waterfront areas surrounding the Erie Canal, Glenwood Lake and Oak Orchard River.
Sidari said the village expects to receive state funding to implement components of the plan, including signage for local attractions.
In the short-term, Hancock said smaller sandwich signs could be put on sidewalks directing people to the parking lot, canal and other attractions.
Hancock also said some of the cyclists who pass through the community would like a spot to pitch a tent for the night. He suggested State Street Park have designated camping spots, and those people register with the village so the police are aware of their presence.
Sidari said camp sites are included in the waterfront plan.
Hancock encouraged the village to work on that, even if there isn’t state funding.
The Tourism Committee welcomes more volunteers next year, and would like to expand to Saturday, Hancock said.
Photos by Tom Rivers: Michael Hungerford and Emily Tucker, one of the curators of the PLAY/GROUND art show and cultural event, are shown with puppets created by Kyla Kegler of Buffalo. Kegler is one of 34 artists featured with work Friday through Sunday at the former Medina High School at 324 Catherine St. Performers will be wearing the puppet heads and costumes during the art show.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 25 September 2019 at 8:59 pm
Last year’s debut of PLAY/GROUND attracted about 2,000 people
MEDINA – Artist have been transforming rooms, hallways, stairwells, even locker rooms and closets in the former Medina High School.
PLAY/GROUND, an immersive art experience, is back at the former school from Friday through Sunday. PLAY/GROUND debuted last year and attracted about 2,000 people to the show.
This year’s show will be bigger, with 34 artist installations, up from the 29 last year.
Talis Equity and the Hungerford family have worked to put on the show.
“For three days this building will be the center of art world in our area,” said Michael Hungerford, one of the leaders of the project.
Keith Lemley created “Symmetry Breaking” which combines geometric objects with light and architecture. Lemley hopes people who see the installation will think about everyday materials in new ways.
Hungerford and Talis Equity have teamed with Resource: Art, which includes three Western New York art curators – Anna Kaplan (Anna Kaplan Contemporary), Elisabeth Samuels (Indigo Art) and Emily Tucker (Benjamin Gallery).
The curators didn’t want traditional art – paintings, sculptures and framed photos.
Nate Hodge of Brockport created this abstract painting, “Medina Green,” in a locker room. Hodge will be covering every inch of the room with acrylic, house paints, salvaged wood and panels, inks and aerosol.
“We want you to think about art in a different way,” Tucker said Monday evening, giving a walk-through of the school.
It sounded like a construction zone with hammering, sawing wood and drilling screws.
“It’s fun to see it all come together,” Hungerford said. “Some of the rooms are done and it’s so much better than we imagined.”
Hungerford, a regional director for Takeform in Medina, read about a similar as PLAY/GROUND a couple years ago in a vacant warehouse in New York City. Last year, Hungerford pushed for the former Medina school to host an immersive art experience.
Michael’s uncle Roger is planning to turn the building into apartments. While it is vacant, Roger Hungerford agreed to give artists free rein to paint and create inside – and even some spots on the outside. (Look for a sailboat on the side of the building this weekend.) Hungerford also is paying the artists for their work.
Emily Tucker, one of the curators, said the funding and exposure through PLAY/GROUND has been appealing to the artists. Often artists are asked to work for free or on a very low budget. Or, they aren’t given full latitude to be creative. PLAY/GROUND urged them to push the envelope and create multi-sensory art work.
Tucker and Hungerford expect to top last year’s attendance. PLAY/GROUND will be running shuttle buses from Buffalo for the opening night celebration and preview party.
Tucker also said the event has been talked about since last year, with much more anticipation among in the arts community now that people know it’s such a unique experience, having so many artists in one building, with wildly divergent work.
Highlights of the three-day event include:
Friday – PLAY/GROUND opens with a 21 and over preview party from 7 pm – 11 pm. General Admission Tickets are $35 in advance and $45 at the door. There are also ticket options which include a shuttle ride to and from Medina leaving from Hotel Henry at 6 p.m.
Included in the price of the tickets to the September 27th PLAY/GROUND Preview Party is a performance from Torn Space Theater. The avant garde theater group known for their site specific performances at Silo City, has created a new work, Auditorium, which will be performed at two different times during the preview event. The party will feature a variety of food and drinks including small bites prepared by Chef Lionel Hydel of the soon-to-open Harvest Restaurant, associated with Bents Opera House in Medina. There will be a cash bar by Mile 303 and kombucha from Bootleg Bucha and Snowy Owl Kombucha.
Saturday and Sunday – the event costs $10 ($5 for all students with ID). PLAY/GROUND is geared towards families for these weekend days. The site can be visited from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day, and children 12 and under are admitted free of charge. There will be family friendly activities in the former gymnasium and live music curated and presented by Revolution Gallery in the Auditorium.
Rich Tomasello made “Safe Space” out of cardboard and white plaster. More than 150 students from Kenmore, Tonawanda and Starpoint schools helped create the artwork. The installation addresses the anxieties of growing up in American schools where lockdown drills are commonplace.
Staff Reports Posted 25 September 2019 at 12:15 pm
Provided photo: Medina native Colin Huwyler stands by a truck that uses his technology to burn used vegetable oil and restaurant grease.
BINGHAMTON – A Medina native’s company, which turns used vegetable oil and restaurant grease into fuel for trucks, is the $1 million winner of a renewable energy contest.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that Optimus Technologies, based in Pittsburgh, PA, won the grand prize in the annual 76West Clean Energy Competition, one of the largest contests in the country that supports growing clean energy businesses to foster economic development.
Optimus Technologies was created by Colin Huwyler, a 2002 Medina graduate. The company designs and manufactures biodiesel fuel systems for medium and heavy-duty diesel trucks to operate on up to 100 percent biodiesel, thereby reducing fuel costs and greenhouse gas emissions by more than 80 percent.
Huwyler, 34, a son of Bobbi Huwyler of Medina and Monte Huwyler, is founder of Optimus Technologies in Pittsburgh, the market leader in development of biodiesel conversion systems for medium and heavy duty trucks. Huwyler has four patents on his technology, with several more pending. (Click here to see a previous Orleans Hub article on Huwyler.)
A total of $2.5 million was competitively awarded to six innovative companies at today’s awards ceremony at Binghamton University where Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul announced the winners. Besides the $1 million for Optimus Technologies, the state recognized a $500,000 winner and four $250,000 winners. The competition is administered by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority.
In this year’s 76West competition, NYSERDA received 169 applications representing 14 countries and 21 states. Of these, 18 semifinalists were chosen and participated in a two-day pitch session this summer at Binghamton University. Judges then recommended the top six winners.
As a condition of the award, companies must either move to the Southern Tier or establish a direct connection with the Southern Tier economy, such as a supply chain partnership, job development with Southern Tier companies or other strategic relationships with Southern Tier entities that help spur economic development and create jobs. For companies already located in the Southern Tier, they must commit to substantially growing their business and employment in the region.
The 2019 76West winners are:
• $1 million grand prize – Optimus Technologies from Pittsburgh, PA: Designs and manufactures biodiesel fuel systems for medium and heavy-duty diesel trucks to operate on up to 100 percent biodiesel, thereby reducing fuel costs and greenhouse gas emissions by more than 80 percent.
• $500,000 award – Radical Plastics of Marblehead, MA: Develops a biodegradable replacement for agricultural plastic mulch, lowering greenhouse gas emissions and improving air quality by reducing fertilizer and avoiding plastic incineration.
• $250,000 award (4) –
Cambridge Crops of Somerville, MA: Produces an edible bio-based protein coating that reduces food spoilage and waste as well as associated carbon dioxide emissions from food production and transport.
Carbon Upcycling Technologies of Calgary, Canada: Transforms carbon dioxide emissions into nanoparticles that can be used to produce coatings and additives to extend the life of concrete, thereby helping to avoid greenhouse gas emissions associated with concrete manufacturing.
CleanFiber of Buffalo, NY: Manufactures low-dust high-performance cellulose building insulation from recycled carboard that increases energy efficiency and reduces energy costs.
ProsumerGrid of Atlanta, GA: Produces integrated planning software enabling electric utilities and energy service companies to optimize deployment of distributed energy resources such as solar and energy storage.
76West began in 2016 as a four-year $20 million competition and support program. Empire State Development has committed $20 million to extend the competition through 2023 as part of the Upstate Revitalization Initiative, offering $10 million in awards and $10 million in business support.
Applicants will again compete for $2.5 million in total prizes each year, with a $1 million grand prize and other awards. NYSERDA will continue to administer 76West, working closely with the Southern Tier Regional Economic Development Council (REDC) and local partners in the region.
Provided photo: Medina police officer Stephen Gross talks with social studies students. Gross is the new school resource officer for the district this year.
Press Release, Medina Central School
MEDINA – There is a new school resource officer in the Medina Central School District and he is already making an impact on the students. Police Officer Stephen Gross has been busy acquainting himself with staff and students.
“I am really excited about being here,” Gross said. “I love getting out and being in the community and working with the kids has been very rewarding and I am enjoying getting to know them all. As far as the school district is concerned, safety is their priority and I felt ready to step into that role and I am excited about that.”
Joe Byrne, a social studies teacher, asked Officer Gross to come to Byrne’s 8th grade classes and talk to the students.
“I wanted to give him a chance for the students to become more familiar with him and show off his impressive knowledge of school district law,” Byrne said. “Today we are talking about how we balance civil rights in our society with school safety. I think it is very important that they know their civil rights as students, but also the concerns that we, the government, have for school safety.”
The students talked about such cases as Tinker v. Des Moines that cemented students’ rights to free speech in public schools. New Jersey v. T.L.O concerns 4th Amendment rights against unreasonable searches and seizures. In Ingraham v. Wright, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that corporal punishment in public schools did not violate constitutional rights. In Kent v. United States, it was determined that juvenile offenders are entitled to the same amount of due process of law as adults while under the jurisdiction of a juvenile court.
The class had some interesting opinions on the various cases as Officer Gross talked about them and discussed how they would relate to what happens in their school. There was also time for students to get a little more personal and ask him about his gear, role in the school and the community.
“My number one goal is to help students to be less afraid of police and to make sure that you get home safe every day,” he told them.
Byrne said he is very grateful for the time that Officer Gross spent in his class.
“He had a training in New Jersey the day before and made sure to get back here to talk to my students,” Byrne said. “I think it was a great way for them to feel more comfortable with him and incorporate some of the lessons we are learning in class.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 24 September 2019 at 8:45 am
Slide and swings, however, will be out to make way for new equipment at Pine Street Park
MEDINA – The snail and merry-go-round at Pine Street Park were given new life by the Village Board.
The two pieces of playground equipment are popular at the park, and some community members have told village officials they don’t won’t to see the snail and merry-go-round to go as part of an upgrade at the park.
Donations are paying for a new splash pad, playground equipment and pathway that would include flowers and butterfly gardens. Construction has started on the $150,000 project.
That work has sparked some concern about the merry-go-round and the big snail. The Village Board discussed keeping those pieces of equipment. They will check with the Pine Street Park Committee to make sure the merry-go-round and snail fit with the plan for the park.
If not, the equipment will be moved to State Street Park.
Some of the existing equipment will be gone, however. The board voted to declare a slide and swing set as surplus equipment and they will be sold to the highest bidder.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 22 September 2019 at 8:20 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – Lancaster’s Marching Band performed, “Into the Yonder Blue,” which is a tribute to the U.S. air forces, during Saturday’s Fall Festival of Bands at Vets Park in Medina. KC Gust is the junior drum major for Lancaster.
More than 1,000 people filled the bleachers for the show, which included nine marching bands.
Lancaster competes in the National Class and came in second with a score of 75.55.
Jamestown’s show is entitled, “Journey Home,” sends a message, “There’s no place like home” while people go on a journey of discovery. Jamestown, which competes in the National Class, had the highest score of the day with 77.55.
Jamestown’s drum major Dylan Lydell lets the judges know the band is ready to perform.
A Jamestown student plays the timpani or kettledrums
Webster’s Marching Band performed “The Journey” and was second in Large School 2 with a score of 71/95.
Webster’s performance included traffic and construction signs in the program. Many of the bands brought out props to add to the presentation.
Ethan Smith is the drum major for the West Seneca Marching Band.
West Seneca’s Marching Band performed, “Along Came A Spider.” The band came in third in the Large School 2 Class with 71.55 points.
Northwestern from Albion, Pa., performed, “Stages of Life.”
The band from Northwestern was first in the Small School 3 Class with 70.45 points.
Other bands in that class included: Le Roy, with 65.55 points; and Pioneer with 64.3 points.
Le Roy performed, “Twinkle, A Dream Among the Stars.” The Pioneer High School Marching Band’s show is called “Periodic Table of Music Notation.”
The Quaker Marching Band from Orchard Park’s show is entitled, “Starry Night,” and was inspired by the famous oil painting by Vincent Van Gogh.
Orchard Park was first among the Large Schools with 74.95 points.
Destiny Jones is a member of the Color Guard for the Medina Mustang Band.
Medina’s show of “Walk the Path” is an exploration of finding your path, taking action, and walking the path forward.
Medina was first in the Small School 1 Class with 76.6 points.
Bianca Islam has a big smile while performing with Medina’s Color Guard.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 22 September 2019 at 6:12 pm
Revamped Vets Park hosted 9 bands, 1,000 spectators for event
Photos by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – The Medina Marching Band won the SSI division on Saturday night and earned the second highest score overall among nine bands at the Fall Festival of Bands at Vets Park.
The top photo shows Jada Draper, left, leading the band as the drum major. The Medina band performed to a program titled, “Walk the Path.”
This is Medina’s 53rd season competing as a marching band.
McKenna Callard is the captain of the color guard for the Medina Marching Band.
Medina’s score on Saturday of 76.6 was topped only by Jamestown, with 77.55. Jamestown competes in the larger national class while Medina is with the small schools.
The scores include:
Small Schools 3: Pioneer, 64.3; Le Roy, 65.55; and Northwestern in Albion, Pa., 70.45.
Small Schools 1: Medina, 76.6
Large Schools 2: West Seneca West, 71.55; Webster, 71.95; and Orchard Park, 74.95
National: Lancaster, 75.55; and Jamestown, 77.55
Kaylee Lacey directs the band as the backfield conductor.
A big crowd filled the stands for the nearly three-hour event. This was the first band show at Vets Park since it received new bleachers.
Jim Steele, director of the band, gives a quick walk through before the band’s performance. The staff have lollipops to make sure they don’t shout last-minute instructions.
Madeline Lewis, center right, plays the baritone for the band.
Trenton Crews, right, is the section leader for the clarinets.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 20 September 2019 at 8:07 am
Photo by Ginny Kropf: Pictured from left include Billy Roman (seated), Sherry Wheatley, Mary Herbert, Ann McElwee, Carol Bellack and Charlene Walsh. They set up a scarecrow at Forrestel Farms, where the 12th annual Scarecrow Fest will take place Oct. 5.
MEDINA – The 12th annual Scarecrow Fest in Medina will take place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 5 at Forrestel Farm and Riding Camp.
The event continues to grow in popularity and features, and this year will enjoy the honor of being celebrated along with Mary Herbert’s 40th anniversary of running the family farm camp.
The fest will have all its old features, along with some new ones, including a flea market this year. Anyone wishing to reserve a spot may call organizer Sherry Wheatley at (585) 735-5135.
The Scarecrow Fest was an idea pitched to Medina Lions 11 years ago by Wheatley. The event has become an annual fundraiser for the Lions, who turn all the profits back into programs for the community.
The Scarecrow Fest has taken place in several locations, including the Canal Basin, Roberts Farm Market, Wise Junior High School and the YMCA. But organizers say Forrestel Farm is the perfect place.
“This is the coolest place,” Wheatley said. “We’re on the farm, with horses and lots of space. This is where it needs to be. And if it rains, we can have it in the barns.”
Forrestel owner Mary Herbert is thrilled to host the event. She is also a member of Lions, and while she doesn’t have a lot of time to donate to the club, hosting the Scarecrow Fest is one way she can contribute, she said.
Recently, Wheatley and fellow Lions members Ann McElwee, Carol Bellack, Charlene Walsh and Billy Roman visited Forrestel Farms to talk about the Scarecrow Fest.
Wheatley said it is the Lions’ goal to add something new every year.
Roman said a lot of organizations are involved in making the Scarecrow Fest a success.
“Everything is donated,” Wheatley said.
First, Wheatley’s mother Pauline Lanning of Albion cuts several hundred heads out of sheets and sews them. They are taken to Medina High School’s Art Department to have faces painted on them. Lyndonville High School’s Art Department will also be asked to help this year, Wheatley said.
Wheatley visits the MAAC Thrift Shop and Lyndonville’s Thrift Shop where she collects old clothing, sheets and accessories (ties, scarves, hats, etc.).
“T” posts for bodies are donated and cut by Iroquois Job Corps’ Carpentry Class. Straw is donated by Phil Keppler of Medina and Ed Neal of Albion.
Orleans 4-H clubs are bringing animals this year.
Cost for each child is $10. After selecting a standing or sitting T post, children choose their head from the large selection clipped on baling twine. Then they go the accessories area and choose ties, scarves or hats.
Straw is dumped into a large pile, and Wheatley said a highlight of the day is watching children, moms, dads, grandpas, grandmas, aunts and uncles thrashing in the straw.
Another favorite activity is having braids added to their scarecrow. Wheatley said they take three pair of old panty hose (also donated by the thrift shops) and stretch them, one by one, over the scarecrow’s head. That gives them three legs on each side, which are then braided.
“Kids just love this,” Wheatley said.
There will be games and children can “milk” a fake cow.
Food will also be available. The Boy Scouts will have corn chowder and chili. The Lions will be cooking hot dogs and hamburgers, and Kim Smith of Lyndonville will be selling cupcakes, cookies and other desserts.
Forrestel Farm and Riding Camp is located at 11380 Main St., Medina (Shelby Center).
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 19 September 2019 at 11:49 am
Provided photos
The new playground is starting to take shape at Pine Street Park.
MEDINA – Construction has started on a new playground at the Pine Street Park in Medina, with a splash and butterfly discovery garden to follow.
“This will be a beautiful addition to our village and a place for children to play and explore,” said Nicole Goyette, a member of the Pine Street Park Project Committee that also includes Tom Hungerford, Bob Sanderson and Maureen Sanderson.
Donations are covering the cost of the project. The committee is accepting funds to cover the remaining expenses with the project. Donations can be sent to the Orleans Renaissance Group, Pine Street Park Project, P.O. Box 543, Medina NY 14103.
The park improvements are costing about $200,000.
The five elements for the splash pad are about $46,750. The splash pad will be 30 feet in diameter and water will circulate out to water plants and trees.
The committee is working the Buffalo company, Parkitects, on the project. Ben Frasier, a Lyndonville native, works for Parkitects and is assisting with the initiative.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 19 September 2019 at 8:08 am
Photo by Tom Rivers: Rosenkrans created this sign to welcome the Ale in Autumn crowd on Sept. 30, 2017. The event started in 2009 and usually included about 24 beer-tasting stops.
MEDINA – A popular event in downtown Medina, the annual Ale in Autumn, has been cancelled on Sept. 28, “due to unforeseen circumstances,” said the Medina Business Association.
Ale in Autumn started in 2009. About 700 people typically buy tickets to sample beer at 24 locations in the downtown.
“While this pains us greatly, it is unavoidable at this moment in time,” the MBA said in a statement about the cancellation. “We do, however, plan to continue the event next year when these issues have been resolved. We also plan to continue with Wine About Winter in February of 2020. All ticket sales will be refunded promptly. Thank you for your patience and understanding while we resolve this matter, and we look forward to a bigger and better event in the Fall of 2020.”
When the Medina Business Association first started Ale in Autumn in 2009, the organization hoped an event with beer tastings would bring in a few outsiders and get more locals to visit Medina merchants.
Ale and Autumn has done far more than that. It quickly sells out and creates a buzz on Main Street.
Businesses welcome the chance to serve as a tasting location because that means hundreds of people will come inside the stores.
Photos by Ginny Kropf: Chef Lionel Heydel and sous chef Jose Ocasio stand in the elaborate kitchen of the Big Barn, where they prepare meals for tasting dinners in an attempt to gain input for developing menus which will be served at Harvest, the new restaurant planned for Bent’s Hall.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 18 September 2019 at 11:26 am
Chef at ‘Harvest’ experimenting with locally grown produce
MEDINA – Medina’s newest eatery – a farm-to-table restaurant – is scheduled to open next spring on the ground floor of Bent’s Hall.
The historic building at the corner of Main and West Center Street has been undergoing restoration for three years, and two culinary experts have already been hired as chefs in the restaurant which will be called “Harvest.”
Chef Lionel Heydel plates the main course of beef bourguignon at a private tasting dinner for 12 guests at the Big Barn, a 1905 barn in Middleport restored by Roger Hungerford into a club/guest house. Heydel and sous chef Jose Ocasio are experimenting with dishes using locally grown foods and looking for input in planning their menus for the new restaurant scheduled to open in the spring at Bent’s Hall.
Lionel Heydel of France and Jose Ocasio of Puerto Rico met the building’s owner, Roger Hungerford, in Florida. Hungerford was impressed with each of their credentials.
Heydel, 44, grew up in Strasbourg, near the Rhine River, and studied at culinary school in France. He came to the United States at the age of 22.
He is a third-generation chef, although he did not want to be a chef, he said.
“I wanted to be a mechanic,” Heydel said. “I was also big in soccer and was drafted to be part of the city team, but I always loved cars and motorcycles.”
But his father kept hounding him that he was going to get hurt and the job was so dirty.
“He asked me why I didn’t go to culinary school, so I finally enrolled,” Heydel said.
After World War II, his grandfather took an American flag and waved it in the street, Heydel said.
“That was a hint for me and my future,” Heydel said.
His grandfather owned a brewery, which the family converted into a bistro. His father served in the Algerian War, and when he came back he entered hospitality and management school in Switzerland. Then he told Heydel’s grandfather if he didn’t pass the family business down to him, he’d leave town and start one somewhere else. Being an only child, the grandfather didn’t want to see his only son leave, so he agreed.
Heydel’s father built on a 26-room hotel and fine dining restaurant with a lounge and small bistro in back. At 13, Heydel was working in the restaurant, helping in the baking section.
“I also washed dishes and worked wherever they needed me, as long as it was away from the stove,” Heydel said.
Photo by Tom Rivers: Chef Lionel Heydel joined other chefs and food service workers from Medina restaurants for the Aug. 8 Farm to Table dinner on Main Street, where about 225 six-course, gourmet meals were served.
After he finished culinary school, he worked as chef at Michelin Star Restaurant, but it was mandatory he serve in the military, so he joined the Gendarmerie (SWAT team) for 18 months.
Then he decided to come to the United States and arrived in Orlando, Fla. in April 1998. He got a contract with Hilton, which sponsored him for 18 months. He returned to France for a year, but returned to Orlando in 2000 with an investor’s visa and opened a restaurant in Winterpark.
In 2017, he was approached by Hungerford, who asked him to come to Medina and work on his restoration project.
“He didn’t realize he would fall in love with the project,” said Tessa Hartway, director of marketing with Hungerford’s company, Talis Equity.
Lisa Tombari, director of historic restoration for Talis Equity, said Heydel fell in love with the town because it felt like back home.
Heydel said here in the United States is very similar to where he grew up – the same seasons, grapes and farm crops.
While Heydel said although he was trained in classic French cuisine, he is open to dishes from all cuisines.
He has already spent months searching out recipes and identifying local farmers who can supply produce for his recipes. The menu will change with the seasons, and he will utilize what is in season, Heydel said.
“We will always stress quality over quantity,” Heydel said. “I have done that in everything in my life.”
Photos by Ginny Kropf: Scaffolding can be seen on the front and upper stories of Bent’s Hall at the corner of Main and West Center Streets, as restoration work on the historic building continues. A new restaurant called Harvest will be located in the lower left corner.
Ocasio was born and raised in Puerto Rico, a child of a military family. His dad was in the Navy and an uncle served in the Navy. His grandfather was in World War II and had a coffee farm, where Ocasio grew up. His grandma had a small business, running a bar and cooking for construction people.
“I fell in love with the kitchen,” he said.
He was working in the kitchen at 14. He knew he would some day enter the military or culinary school. When he entered technical school, the class he wanted was full and the professor said he had to choose a second course. Culinary class was available and he entered it.
“I loved it,” Ocasio said. “The instructor at school was a chef at the Marriott and said I had talent. He also had a private catering business and asked me to come and help him. When the Culinary School of Puerto Rico had a culinary competition, I joined his team representing our country. We won, then flew to Chicago in July 2010 to represent Puerto Rico in the international competition. We won a silver medal.”
Chef Lionel Heydel, left, and assistant chef Jose Ocasio pose in the street across from Bent’s Opera House, the sandstone building at the corner of Main Street and West Center, in which a farm-to-table restaurant is scheduled to open in the spring.
In the competition they had to prepare a pork chop, apples, potatoes, salad, appetizer and dessert in one hour and 20 minutes. Ocasio made braised pork chop with applesauce, potato hash, fruit tart and a salad of mixed greens with berries and champagne vinaigrette.
Back in Puerto Rico, Ocasio finished culinary college. His dad had retired and Ocasio decided to relocate to the United States. He arrived in Orlando seven years ago and entered Le Cordon Bleu Culinary School, where he met Heydel, who was a professor there.
“I recognized Lionel’s talent and wanted to learn from him,” Ocasio said. “He was willing to teach everybody and share what he knew. I graduated and told Lionel the day he opened his own restaurant, I was going to work for him. I didn’t care if it was washing dishes. Six years later, I got the call.”
Ocasio in the meantime worked for a farm-to-table restaurant in Orlando as a line cook. In less than a year he was promoted to sous chef, then to executive chef. He was there three years when the restaurant was sold and he went to DFRG Steak House. A year and a half later, he was promoted to corporate chef and sent to open new restaurants in Texas, Atlanta, Raleigh, N.C., and Chicago.
He prides himself on his ability to cook everything and whatever is available. At one restaurant, a farmer would come to the back door with whatever he had that day, such as a bucket of green beans, and Ocasio would have them on the menu that night.
When the call came from Heydel about opening a restaurant in New York, Ocasio, 26, asked, “New York City?”
Heydel replied, “No, Medina,” and Ocasio went online to find Medina.
“It was always my dream to work for Lionel,” Ocasio said.
Ocasio is thrilled with the small-town atmosphere.
“The first morning in the area we had breakfast at Darrell’s and I saw how people treat each other,” Ocasio said. “I immediately fell in love with the area. After a tour of Bent’s, I realized what a great opportunity we have. I am anxious to see what we can do with food to bring people to Medina.”
(Editor’s Note: This is part three of a series on the restoration projects in downtown Medina spearheaded by Roger Hungerford and Talis Equity.)
MEDINA – Lee-Whedon Memorial Library hosted its sixth annual LibraryCon on Friday. There were more than 40 kids in attendance.
The highlight of the evening was the zombie apocalypse, which started with two zombie women ambling throughout the building. By the end of the night many had succumbed to the invasion.
Those that survived were able to get their face painted, play super-hero bingo, and learn about super-hero movie effects.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 September 2019 at 3:08 pm
Provided photo: This bike rack at Lee-Whendon Memorial Library in Medina was created by the welding class at Orleans-Niagara BOCES. It was added to the library about two years ago.
MEDINA – Lee-Whedon Memorial Library in Medina is latest local site to be approved as “bike friendly” by Parks & Trail New York.
The library filled out a survey and application through Parks & Trails. The library on Park Avenue offers a bicycle repair station outside the main entrance for anyone to use. Lee-Whedon also offers WiFi internet access, computers, a fill-up water fountain and a welcoming community space.
Other Medina sites that are certified as “bike friendly” include the Bunkhaus Hostel, Fitzgibbons Public House, the Orleans County YMCA and The Hart House Hotel.
Tinsel, an ice cream shop in Albion, also is deemed bike friendly in Orleans County.
To see a map of the sites recognized by Parks & Trails, click here.
Parks & Trails started the bicycle-friendly certification program in 2017 to recognize and promote businesses that provide special accommodations for bicyclists.
